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Novosevensk
Seven (Philosopher's Island) |nextto= |nicknames= |language=English, Russian |saint=St Abraham of Smolensk |anthem= |hexacode=SE-KY-NK }} Novosevensk (English pronunciation: ˌnɔvoʊ̯sɪˈvɪnsk (standard), ˌnɔvoʊ̯sɪˈvɛnsk (Northern)) is a village on Philosopher's Island, Seven. A large number of the inhabitants are of Russian descent. Novosevensk is a rather quiet region of Lovia, which has become seen in recent years as an undesirable place in which to live. However, citizen Semyon Breyev has made the town a great place to live and population has risen a lot. In 2012 several residents started a campaign to declare independence from the rest of Lovia and install local politician Denis Grigorev as Governor. However, as of September 2012 independence has not been declared and no application has been received by the central government in Noble City. Etymology The name Novosevensk was invented in 1934 by citizens who disliked the former name of Sharapovgrad. It derives from the Russian words новый meaning new, Севен which is a transliteration of the English name Seven, and '-ск' which is a generic Russian ending for a settlement. Thus the name Novosevensk means literally 'New Seven Town. This pattern of names is rather common in Russia; examples include Novosibirsk and Novorossiysk Geography The village is located on the shores of the Bay of Estonia, after an Estonian immigrant who patriotically named it after his homeland. As can be seen from the picture, the island is in a tropical location, and is partially surrounded by the Abraham Park which covers around a quarter of the island. Building is not permitted in the Park, which is reserved for nature projects. The King Lucas Botanical Institute has a research station based near the village. The area on which the village is built is fairly flat, unlike the rest of the island, which tends to be hilly; behind Novosevensk are steep slopes rising to the Hill of Confucius. A small stream, the Rekachka, flows down off the hill and though the village. Neighboring settlements Climate Novosevensk enjoys a subtropical/Mediterranean climate, which is however modified by the seas which surround the island. History The village was founded in 1880 by Russian Lovian Nikolai P. Sharapov. He refused to become part of Lovian society and did not swear allegience to Arthur I. After becoming senile in 1901 at the age of 74, he declared himself the first Tsar of Seven. He died shortly afterwards. His son succeeded to the 'title' but renounced it immediately and swore allegience to the King. In return, there are claims he was granted the less pretentious title of Count Sevensky (Count of Seven). This recognition was later denied by successors to the throne. Neither father nor son succeeded in attracting a large number of Russians to the settlement, and the population remained at a maximum of around 100. In 1918, however, a large number of emigres from the Russian Empire arrived following the Revolution and settled in the settlement, increasing its size by a few thousand people. Most of them, however, were not actually ethnically Russian (being instead Ukrainians, Poles, Tatars, etc.) and there was some conflict with the existing Russian population. They communicated with each other using Russian, however, with a few loanwords which served to make Novosevenskian Russian unique. Over time, Novosevensk became a mostly English-speaking community as the need to speak English became pressing and English achieved a prestiged status in Lovia. By around 1955 the village had grown to a size of about 5000. The inhabitants lived peacefully with the American Lovians of Kinley. Around 1960, however, a large number of people (mainly Americans or American Lovians) began to migrate to Seven (especially Kinley), which had previously been rather a backwater. This aroused nationalistic tendencies in the people of Novosevensk as their differences with the other Lovians were highlighted. They took to pronouncing their dialect in an exaggerated way, and to use excessive amounts of Russian words in their speech. This period saw a revival in traditional Russian culture and strong tensions between the two communities arose. In 1966 two Americans were killed by a drunken mob in Novosevensk. Worldwide attention was drawn to this event, and the Novosevenskians were portrayed by the American media in particular as spies for the Soviets due to their heritage (even though most were not Russian, and had left because of their opposition to the Revolution). In response, the Lovian government attempted to quell any nationalistic tendencies by inviting large numbers of Americans to live in the state. This policy succeeded, with the unfortunate result that the original Seven dialect of English is rarely heard in Kinley, and 40% of Novosevenskians identify as 'recent settlers' who often do not understand or want to understand the original culture. Although Novosevensk was previously a fairly large settlement, the population has shrunk in recent years as it has become seen as an undesirable place to live, and due to the attraction of cities such as Noble City and Newhaven. The decrease was such that Novosevensk was recently downgraded to the status of village. In 2010, however, Semyon Breyev became chairman and began a project to repopulate the town. Novosevensk currently has around 8000 inhabitants. Language Demography Population The current population is 8115, according to the Seven Demographic Center. Ethnicity Roughly speaking, there are four major groups in Novosevensk: * The settlers from the Russian empire. Most are not themselves Russian, but Ukrainians, Poles, Finns, Germans, Tatars, or other such ethnicities. However, most are unable to specify the exact ethnic origin of their ancestors. * The original Russian settlers, who preceded the group above. They see themselves as 'aristocrats' and this status is reluctantly acknowledged by the other Russians. The most notable of this group is the eccentric 'Countess' Irina Sevenskaya. * The settlers of American origin. This group's culture can vary a lot, depending on when their ancestors moved to Lovia. If this happened recently, they are more likely to be noticeably 'American' and speak American English or Urban Lovian English and look down slightly on the Russians, especially the 'aristocracy'. On the other hand, those Americans who have been in Lovia for longer are more likely to speak Northern Lovian English and to share at least some of the Northern Lovian culture. * Others. This group, made up mostly of Belgians and Chinese. They tend to speak Northern Lovian English, though without as much Russian influence. They are not involved in the ethnic tension which can occasionally rise between the Russians and Americans. Besides the 2% Chinese and 2% African-Americans the rest of the population is Caucasian (white). Religion For a Lovian settlement, Novosevensk is unusually religious. Around half the population are Russian Orthodox, another quarter are religious but not Orthodox (mainly Christian) and the rest are non-religious. Other As in the rest of Seven, most Novosevenskians are older than the national average. However this balance is changing rapidly, as more young people are attracted to settle. The ratio of men and women is almost exactly 1:1, although naturally there is some fluctuation. Birth rate is high; each woman has three children on average. Life expectancy is 70.5 for men and 74.2 for women. Culture The culture of Novosevensk is an interesting and unique blend of Russian, American and European influences. This contributes to the inhabitants' feeling of uniqueness. Cuisine Both Russian dishes, such as borsh and shee, and American and European dishes are eaten in Novosevensk. This results in a highly diverse cuisine, contrasting simple Russian cooking with Western recipes. Novosevensk food2.jpg Novosevensk food1.jpg Music playing a contrabass balalaika]] Likewise, music combines Russian traditional instruments (balalaika, kantele, Jew's harp) with more common ones such as violin and guitar. Even among the instruments only from Russia, there is great variation as immigrants came from all over the Russian Empire. For example, the kantele is Finnish and the Jew's harp is Tatar/Turkic. Rapper MC Squad was born in Novosevensk. Transportation Novosevensk is connected to Kinley by the Highway 6, as well as the Seven State Railway. Ferries depart regularly from the Abraham Harbor to Beaverwick, Kinley and Sofasi. Most services, particularly the ferries, are reliable. The chairman has recently proposed building a regional airport which would provide flights to Sofasi. There is a good deal of opposition to this however, so this is unlikely that the plan will come to fruition. Until recently, transportation was very poor, resulting in most villagers owning their own boat, and making walking a common transport method. Town Map *1 - Parkin Street *2 - Sharapov Avenue *3 - Kazan Street Scale map The map to the right is to scale. Economy Novosevensk is not an important region in Lovia, and little economic activity occurs there. Primary sector For most of Novosevensk's existence, the economy has revolved around farming and fishing. Orray (a local word for trout) fishing has in particular brought in money to the village. Dairy farming is virtually the only kind of farming possible, due to the steepness of the land, and is mainly for subsistence, to supplement the diet with meat and milk, whereas the main income is from fishing. In recent years, however, some milk has been exported. Some Novosevenskians own farms on other islands. Most families also grow fruit and vegetables in private gardens, though only for their own use. Secondary sector The secondary sector is virtually non-existent in Lovia. The Novosevensk Woollen Mill is a small enterprise which makes woollen articles such as sweaters and socks, which are very popular in other parts of Lovia. Tertiary sector Currently tourism is not a major industry in Novosevensk, although the chairman is looking to expand it. Most tourists come to visit for the very attractive scenery and quiet atmosphere; Novosevensk is possibly the most accessible of Lovia's small island. Culture is also an attraction, as Novosevensk's culture is a unique blend of Russian, American, European, and native Lovian influences; by contrast Kinley, and other Lovian towns, are sometimes felt to be too 'Nobleized'. Education There a is an elementary school in Novosevensk, the Mendeleyev School, attended by children up to the age of eleven. It also provides evening classes in Russian history, literature and language for older or mature students. Older children must commute to the Bishop Thumbsup Secondary School in Kinley. Nicknames Novosevensk has a large number of nicknames, probably due to the fact that the name is hard for non-Lovians to pronounce. Some of these are: * Little Russia (presumably by analogy with Little Frisco, Little Europe, etc.) * NK (from the hexacode) * Novo (coined by Marcus Villanova) Places of interest * Museum of Russian Culture. * Novosevensk beach. * School for Russian Language, History and Culture (one of the oldest schools in Lovia, founded in 1925. * Sharapov Memorial (defiantly raised by Russian Lovians in 1964) Sister towns * Daobs, Mäöres * Vianne Lesgordes, Cettatie * Pewsey, Wiltshire, England * Gorno-Altaysk, Altai Republic, Russia * Cottbus, Germany Well-known Novosevenskians Historical * Nikolai Sharapov, founder of the town and self-styled 'Tsar of Seven'. * Vladimir Sharapov, his son. * Sir John Lashawn lived in Novosensk from 1901-1902 * Kushi Monita, architect, from 1999 to 2007 * Llywelyn Rhys, soldier and writer, from 1919-1955 Present day * Semyon Breyev, former chairman and current Governor of Seven. * Denis Grigorev, local politician and businessman. Unofficial Governor of Novosevensk. * Philip Bradly-Lashawn, famous fencer and illegitimate son of Arthur III. * J. Oswald McCloud, entrepreneur. * 'Countess' Irina Sevenskaya, a descendant of the Sharapovs and leader of the Novosevensk 'aristocracy'. * Vladimir Klopov, businessman. * Henri Megrii, famous fencer and spokesman for LGBT-rights. * Taisho Kumato, famous wrestler and owner of Kumato Iron Dojo (also soccer player). * Alexey Hovlouchuk, film director. * MC Squad, rapper. * Yuri Medvedev, former Prime Minister 2008-2011. * Alyssa C. Red, MOTC. * Olaf Engelund, well-known Norwegian-Lovian socialist. * Ygo August Donia, (in)famous son of August Magnus Donia. * Dormidont Petropavlov, priest. * Dimitri Kalinnikov, Seven delegate for the CNP and current Federal Police Commissioner. * Djeko Vasilyev, Green Party politician and professor at Blackburn University, Noble City. * Yuri Aksyonov, musician and singer Gallery Rye fields outside Novosevensk.jpg|Rye fields outside Novosevensk Novosevensk.jpg|Novosevensk Arbour in Novosevensk.jpg|Arbour Church of St. Abraham.jpg|Church of St. Abraham overlooking the sea References Category:Seven Category:Novosevensk Category:Village